My meeting with the Mangalitza

Until recently, the Mangalitza, or Mangalitsa, or Mangalica pig was the stuff of stories for me. This woolly pig, first selected in Hungary, has been raved about as a very tasty pig indeed, a breed whose salvation lay in being eaten more widely. On a couple of trips to Hungary I did keep half an eye open for it, but at least on my sketchy investigations it appeared to be without honour in its own country.

California leads the world, as ever. On 18 September, the state legislature signed into law a bill that "requires a vegan option on the menu at hospitals, health facilities such as nursing homes, and state prisons". So far, so normal. What brought me up short was the self-congratulatory remarks of...

We had a quick trip to Venice a few weeks ago, which included a good mix of the old and the new. A new restaurant was the Antica Osteria Ruga Rialto, a favourite haunt of a new friend. Having eaten cuttlefish twice already, I decided to try something new, green gnocchi with shrimps.

Drinker beware

Phil Howard, of Michigan State University, casually let slip in our conversation about concentration in the food industry that a brewery in Australia had been fined for faux craft beer. I had to investigate. Its quite an interesting story.